Dragon Ball F
by Darkness593
Summary: Taking the characters of Dragon Ball Z and making them heroes of Albion, this story is based on the storyline of Fable 2. Dragon Ball Z belongs to Akira Toriyama. Fable two belongs to Lionhead studios. Rated M for possible language and subject matter.
1. Childhood

**Dragon Ball(Z/GT/Super) belongs to Akira Toriyama. Fable(2/3/the Journey) belongs to Lionhead Studios. This story is adapted from Fable 2.**

Snow fell lightly down over the region of Bowerstone. The Old Town seemed to be receiving the most snow as a homeless mother helped her young child warm up by a makeshift pyre. Both mother and son had brown tails and jet black, spiky hair. While the mothers spiky hair flowed down to her shoulders, her son's longer hair curved up and out in different directions. Their clothes were covered in dirt and grime. Resting on the boy's back was a wooden sword and sitting in his pocket was a toy gun. He was lucky enough to find them lying on the ground and used them to try to protect himself and his mother.

As a bird flew south for the winter, it let out some poop while flying over the pyre. The poop did not hit the pyre though, it hit the boy's head. The boy reached up to inspect the stuff on his head. As soon as he touched it, he realized what it was and tried to scrape it out of his hair. His mother noticed his movements.

"What is it Goku?" she asked, soon noticing what he was scraping out, "Ew."

Goku soon finished scraping the poop out and went back to warming himself up.

"Well," his mother said in a tone that indicated that she was going to try to cheer him up, "I heard that something like that is lucky, like finding a four leaf clover. Although, I think I'd prefer the clover."

The morning fog was lifting, revealing a large castle in the distance.

"Look over there," Goku's mother said excitedly, indicating to the castle, "Castle Fairfax looks so nice in the snow. I bet King Cold and Lord Frieza are having roast duck this time of year. Though it might not be a happy dinner, what with Lord Cooler leaving overseas all those years ago and never sending any word back. I'd just love it if we could live there, out of the cold, to keep them company."

The sound of a crowd clamouring about broke woke Goku's mother from her daydream. She turned in the direction the sounds were coming from.

"What is going on over there?" She asked, irritated, "Come on son."

The two left their pyre and started down the side road that led to the main road. They didn't get very far and were stopped by a man in tattered clothes. The man had similar hair to Goku's, if not messier. His skin was pale and every look of the man told Goku that he was bad news. The man was a local criminal by the name of Turles.

"Hello there Gine," he said to Goku's mother, "have you reconsidered my offer?"

"How many times do I have to say no?" Gine responded.

"Come on, if you just marry me, you and your little Sparrow will have plenty to eat."

"We'll never be that hungry," Gine said angrily, "and don't you dare refer to my son by that name, or any name,again."

Gine grabbed Goku's hand and pushed past Turles.

"I really hate him," Gine said aloud, "he thinks he can just pass himself off as your father? I don't care how similar your hair is, Bardock was far more honourable, marrying Turles would be an insult to his memory."

They eventually reached the crowd and squeezed in beside a short woman dressed in witches attire.

"I can't see anything through this crowd," Gine groaned, "all right Sparrow, climb on my shoulders."

Goku nodded and climbed up his mother to sit on her shoulders. He could see a caravan in front of the crowd and a short, old merchant with a thick mustache and a long beard.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the merchant called to the crowd, "I have travelled far and wide, accumulating wondrous artifacts that were used by kings and Heroes from the old kingdom. I now offer these objects to you for the modest price of five gold coins, plus interest," he gave a strange look to one of the women in the crowd,

"Take this mirror for example," he gestured to a mirror in the back of the caravan, "it is truly a magic mirror, for as long as you look into it, you shall look beautiful."

"I'll take it," one of the men in the crowd called.

"Wonderful," the merchant exclaimed, "now remember, in order for the effects to work, you must look into it in complete darkness." the merchant then looked at and orange sphere on a shelf in the front of the caravan, "Ah, now this is truly a marvel. This unassuming ball is capable of granting a person a single wish. It was used by the old kingdom rulers themselves."

"That's total rubbish," Gine said from beneath Goku, "nothing is that powerful."

"That's what the merchant thinks," the short woman in witch clothes said, "he has no idea what he has stumbled upon," she then looked at Goku, "but you have an inkling, don't you? Some part of you wants to believe that it can grant a wish for you."

"You really think it can?" Gine asked.

"For five gold coins, you could have your answer."

"For five gold coins, we could eat for a weak."

"Yes, but at the end of that weak, you and your Sparrow would be no closer to your dream. No closer to the inside of that beautiful castle."

"What if it really does grant wishes?" Gine asked as Goku climbed down, "What if we can use it to get out of here? There must be some way to get gold around here."

"Oi, you two," a local guard called to them, "c'mere a minute."

Goku immediately ran over to the guard. Gine merely walked.

"Hello Derek," Gine said, "lose something?"

"My arrest warrants blew right out of my hand and down that alley. If they aren't returned to me, who know's what will happen, and I can't leave my post or the criminals will run rampant without anyone to stop them."

"If we find them and bring them back to you, will you give us a gold piece?"

"Well, I really shouldn't, but seeing as these warrants are important, I'll think about it."

Seeing that she wouldn't get any real confirmation out of Derek, Gine started towards the alley that Derek was talking about, Goku following close behind. As they walked they came across a second crowd. This crowd was showing skeptic interest in a man with a strange device. The device was rectangular in shape and relatively small. The man noticed Gine and Goku and motioned for them to come closer.

"Hello," he greeted them, "how would you like to be the first to test out my new picture making device?"

"Your what?" Gine asked.

"A picture maker," he explained, "the result will be much more detailed than any painting. With this, people will have a better likeness to carry around on the go. If you help me test it, I will give you a gold piece."

Gine looked to her side to get her son's input on the man and his device, as Goku was a better judge of character than she was, but Goku wasn't there. She looked ahead to find him balanced precariously on the man's device, staring inside of it with an upside down view. This was how Goku generally inspected some new piece of machinery. After a few seconds, Goku jumped off of the device and onto the wooden platform the device was aimed at. He looked straight at the device and gave the man a thumbs up with a wink, Goku's signal to do whatever the device did. Goku held his pose as the man fiddled with the machine, which let out a click and a flash with a small puff of smoke.

"There," the man said, signaling for Goku to stop posing, "now we just need to wait three months for the picture to develofy and you will have it."

"Three months he says," one of the men in the crowd mocked, "there's Barnum for you, crazy as always."

Barnum scoffed at the remark as he placed a gold piece in Goku's hand. Goku gave him a smile and a nod before joining his mother, who had been waiting on the other end of the alley. He was going to show her the coin when the sound of a hurt dog caught his attention. Goku rounded the corner of the alley onto a side street and noticed an older kid with a wooden sword smacking a golden retriever. Goku was too hurt at this sight to notice his mother walk past him and up to the kid.

"Excuse me," Gine tapped the kid's shoulder, "just what do you think you're doing to that dog?"

At this point, a crowd of children younger than goku had formed.

"Showing it who's boss," The kid replied snarkily, "what's it to you?"

The kid hit Gine with the wooden sword, making her fall over, hard. The kids in the crowd gasped.

"He hit a girl!" one of the kids exclaimed.

"Yeah," the kid smirked, turning to Goku, "and now I'm gonna hit another one."

Seeing his mother get hit made something inside of Goku snap. Gine started to get up and saw a look of horror on Goku's face. As the kid that hit her closed in on her son, she saw something she always hated to see happen to him. The look of horror turned to rage and his jet black eyes turned green as he charged the kid with blinding speed, delivering a barrage of strikes from his wooden sword. It didn't take long for the kid to retreat.

"Leave me alone you nutter," he cried as he ran away.

Gine did not hesitate to run over to her son and hold him close to comfort him and calm him down. The one thing Gine couldn't stand was seeing her son angry. It triggered a change that she feared would turn him into something else, so every time she saw those green eyes, she would rush over and comfort him, bring her happy child back before he turned into some kind of monster.

The golden retriever gave Goku a lick for saving it as his eyes returned to their usual black. Goku's smile returned as he gave the dog a hug. Normally, Gine wouldn't let Goku have a pet, but considering what just happened, she decided to make an exception.

Goku and the dog walked ahead of Gine as they continued down a side road. Goku stopped as they reached a frost covered street lamp. He was looking at something on the ground, a piece of paper. He picked it up and handed it to Gine. The writing was crude, but Gine could still make out a few words, especially the first word.

"It's the first warrant," Gine gave the paper back to Goku, "good eye son."

They arrived in a small square in front of a warehouse. Goku and the dog ran around the square excitedly, causing snow to fly with every step they took. When they returned to Gine a few seconds later, Goku was holding three more papers, more warrants. Gine smiled at how good a team the two made when it came to finding things. The trio then climbed the steps to the warehouse entrance where the owner seemed troubled.

"What's wrong?" Gine asked the man.

"Oh," the man groaned, "beetles are taking over my warehouse. I can't get at any of my stock without getting attacked by the buggers." the man then saw the toy gun in Goku's pocket, "Hey, you've got a gun, maybe you could take care of those little buggers. I'll give you a gold piece if you do."

Goku looked at his mother, waiting for permission to go on this possibly dangerous mission.

"Go for it," she encouraged him.

Goku smiled as he pulled his gun out. The man opened the door to the warehouse.

"Remember," the man said as Goku entered the warehouse, "shoot the beetles. Shoot to kill."

When the door closed, Goku made his way to the stairs to the upper level, but a familiar voice stopped him.

"Hey kid," Turles called from the window, "Eight-man out there owes some protection money to Lord Slug. So how 'bout you leave the beetles and smash his stock up instead? I'll give you a gold piece on Lord Slug's behalf."

Goku considered Turles' proposal for a moment before remembering what his mother had said about him. Goku turned to Turles and stuck his tongue out, making an obscene gesture with his free hand before proceeding to run up the stairs to shoot the beetles. Five shots rang through the warehouse and Goku returned, a smug look on his face as he looked at Turles.

"Oh crap," Turles groaned, "do you know what I had to do to get those beetles? I'll remember this kid."

Turles ran off as Goku knocked on the warehouse door to be let out.

"Did you do it?" Eight-man asked, opening the door, "oh good. Thanks to you, business will be booming again in no time. Here's a gold piece for your trouble."

With their second gold piece, Gine and Goku walked back down the steps to continue their search for the last warrant. Goku noticed a couple arguing in front of a house near where he found the third warrant. Curious, he walked over to the couple, Gine following close behind. As they got closer, gine noticed that the man in the couple was drunk, and the woman was scolding him. Despite their heated argument, they noticed Goku and Gine the minute they walked over.

"Look Betty," the man hiccoughed, "two sets of twins! You'll help me get my booze back, won't you?"

Goku eagerly nodded his head, hoping that this task would get them their third gold coin.

"Oh good," the man said, "a bloke named Magpie swindled me out of it and ran down that alley over their."

Goku turned around to see an alley across the street from the stairs to the warehouse.

"I'm terribly sorry about this," the woman, Betty, apologized, " he's just so determined to get his booze, even though his life would be better without it."

Goku ran over to the alley and saw someone sleeping at the end of it. It was a man in ripped up clothes. next to him was a bottle of booze that was stoppered with a rolled up piece of paper.

"That must be Magpie," Gine said when she saw the man, "and there's the booze, be careful you don't wake him up when you get it son."

Goku moved slowly through the alley, each step in the snow making his heart race. With each step, Goku tested his footing, making sure that there was no ice before putting his weight down on his foot. He edged closer and closer to the sleeping Magpie, his heart racing faster and faster as the distance between them closed. When he was right in front of Magpie, Goku carefully bent over to pick up the bottle. Goku clutched the bottle, giving a glance at the sleeping man as he did, and ran back down the alley. He could vaguely hear Magpie say something in his sleep.

"Stupid Pete," Magpie murmured, "you snooze, I take your booze."

"Good job son," Gine told Goku as he exited the alley.

The two made their way back to Betty and Pete. When they arrived, Goku gave the bottle to Betty.

"Thank you," Betty said, giving Goku a gold coin, "hang on, there's something in here. I think this is yours."

Betty pulled the rolled up piece of paper out and handed it to Goku. gine read it after Goku unrolled it. The paper was the last warrant.

"That's all five," Gine commented, "come on, let's get back to the guard." Gine and Goku made their way back to the main road, the dog following close behind. When they reached the main road, the dog ran down the side street that led to Goku and Gine's bonfire spot. The two paid it no mind and instead headed for the guard. Goku handed the warrants to the guard.

"Thanks," the guard said, "now, normally justice is its own reward, but seeing as these aren't normal circumstances, here's your gold piece."

The guard handed Goku a gold piece,

"That makes four, just one more and we can buy the ball." Gine said, before noticing a crying man," what do you suppose his problem is?"

The two walked over to the man.

"What's wrong?" Gine asked.

"Oh," the man groaned, "I want to marry my darling Belinda, but her mother thinks that I'm no good for her. I wrote her a letter asking her to run away with me, but I have no way of getting it to her without her mother getting it first."

Gine thought for a moment, then got an idea.

"My son, Goku could deliver it," she said, "he can get it straight to her."

"Really," the man looked at Goku, "Oh thank you."

The man handed Goku the letter.

"Don't let her mother get it," the man warned.

Goku walked over to a house with a balcony and knocked on the door. The door opened and it was an old woman standing in the doorway.

"What do you want?" she asked angrily.

Goku held the letter up, yet close, and extended a finger on his free hand, indicating that he needs payment of one gold coin for delivery.

"Oh," the woman said, "all right, come in."

Goku entered the house. It was pretty shabby. All the furniture was worn and the stairwell was splintered. Goku could see no one else on the main floor, so he thought that Belinda might be on the second floor.

"Wait there," the woman ordered Goku from a cupboard, "and don't you touch anything."

When the woman's back was turned, Goku ran up the stairs. At the top, he saw a young woman scrubbing the floor in front of one of two beds. The woman noticed Goku and stood up.

"Hello," she greeted kindly, "what is it?"

Goku handed her the letter. She opened it and read it. When she finished, she held the letter close to her heart and sighed contently.

"Oh Monty," she said quietly, "my little dove. Here," she handed Goku a gold coin, "you deserve this."

Goku ran back down the stairs and out the door. He ran straight to the caravan.

"Hello little one," the bearded merchant greeted him, "what can I help you with today?"

Goku held out his hand, all five gold coins resting in it, and pointed to the orange ball.

"Ah yes, a sensible buy," the merchant took the coins from Goku and handed him the ball, "make sure you make your wish somewhere quiet."

Goku nodded and looked towards his mother. He raised his hand to show her that he got the ball. Gine walked towards him and he started down the side street back towards their bonfire. When they reached the area, Goku placed the ball on the nearby crate. Gine crouched down next to it and clasped her hands together.

"I wish we lived in a great big castle, like Castle Fairfax."

Goku stared in awe as the ball began to pulsate. As it continued to pulsate, Goku saw four red stars appear inside of it. The ball began to glow furiously and it began to levitate. Just when Goku thought that his mother's wish would be granted, the ball turned into a pure white stone and dropped to the ground. The impact made Gine open her eyes. She looked around, disapointed.

"Why are we still here?" she asked, "Why didn't it take us to a castle far from here? I thought it would work, I thought we wouldn't be stuck in old town anymore. Oh let's just go to bed."

Gine walked behind a run down building. Goku looked at the white stone that was once an orange ball with four red stars. He picked up the stone and followed Gine. Their home was a run down shack behind a rundown building. It had two sheets that Gine found a few years back. On Gine's sheet was a book, Gine's diary. On Goku's sheet was the dog that had helped them today. Gine laid down on her sheet with a huff. Goku laid down on his and cuddled up to the dog, drifting off to sleep.

Goku woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of the dog barking. Goku sat up, groggily. When his eyes adjusted, he saw that the dog was barking at some guards.

"Woah," one of the dogs tried to calm the dog down, "there's a nice, angry stray dog."

"Calm down boy," Gine called, the barking waking her up as well, "what's going on?"

"We work for King Cold," the lead guard explained, "and he would very much like to see you."

"It worked," Gine mumbled, standing up, "we're going to live in the castle. Come on son."

Goku sat there a moment. He looked at his mother's diary and decided to take it. Something inside of him told him that this might not be as good as Gine thinks it is.

Goku and Gine were led through the streets in Old Town, then through the Market, which was currently too dark to make anything out. After an hour of walking, they reached the castle. Goku was in awe at the sheer size of it. They made it to the door and the lead guard knocked on it. It was opened by a strange man with green skin and hair.

"Evening Zarbon," the guard said, "here are the tailed being that King Cold asked for."

"Thank you guard," Zarbon dismissed the guards, "Hello you two, I must say that Saiyans are a rare sight these days, especially since they isolated themselves so long ago. Come along."

Zarbon led them through the castle, down an isolated corridor.

"So, um," Gine started, "where are Lord Frieza and King Cold?"

"Lord Frieza is preparing for a trip with his father, who spends most of his time here in his study, he even takes his meals in there."

As they continued, they passed by a tall, bald man with green skin, pointy ears and antennae.

"Good evening Piccolo," Zarbon greeted the man, who ignored him, but gave a brief glance at Goku, and left, "a man of few words."

They soon arrived at a large door.

"Now, when you speak to King Cold, address him as "Your Highness", speak only when spoken to, and do not, under any circumstances, mention Lord Cooler," Zarbon opened the door, "Your Highness, the Saiyans are here."

King Cold was a towering figure with pink skin and white armor, with some purple here and there. He had black horns jutting out the sides of his head that curved up, somewhat like a devil's, and a long thick tail. He wore a black cape with gold chains.

"Ah, hello," King Cold greeted Goku and Gine, "please, come closer." The two stepped into Colds study, "It has come to my attention that the two of you are in possession of an orange orb."

"Urm," Gine shuffled uneasily, "it actually turned to stone, and I haven't seen it since."

"To stone you say, interesting," King Cold thought for a moment, looking in the direction of a large stained glass window at the back of the study, "I would like you to stand in the circle over there."

Confused, Goku looked over to the window. Then he noticed that the floor by the window was raised. Upon closer inspection, Goku saw that the raised area was a circle with a strange symbol in the middle. Seeing the symbol made Goku's heart race and he instinctively stepped into the circle to get a better look at it. When Gine entered behind him, the circle became encased in blue light, snapping Goku's attention back to Cold.

"What is that?" Gine asked, looking afraid.

"It's nothing to be afraid of," Cold informed her, touching the light, causing it to turn red, "Argh, What are you?"

Cold rushed over to a desk covered in notes and books.

"You're heroes, yes," he stated, "but you're not any of the Three, one of you is the Fourth," he shuffled through the papers and picked up a black and gold flintlock pistol, aiming it at Gine, "I'm sorry, but nothing must stand in my way."

"What are you doing?" Gine asked.

It all happened so fast, Gine objected to Colds actions before letting out a scream that was silenced as a gunshot rang through the 's body crumpled on the floor, lifeless. Goku stared at his mother's lifeless body in horror, then at Cold, who was now aiming the pistol at him.

"I swear I didn't want it this way… I'm sorry"

A second shot rang through the castle as Goku felt his body get thrown through the stained glass window. He felt himself bounce off the roofs of houses with frightening thuds and crashes, each impact making him cough up blood. When he hit the ground, he became immobilized. He knew he wasn't paralyzed because he could feel pain running through his entire body, he just couldn't move through it. He could feel blood flowing from his mouth as tears fell from his eyes. He thought he was going to die, then he saw a two shadows. One was a dog, the other didn't meet the ground. Then, everything went black as he heard familiar voice.

"Death is not your destiny today little Sparrow," It said.

 **The chapters in this story will be about as long as this, so it may take a while to upload.**


	2. The Heroes Guild and Thag

**I did say that it would take a while.**

Ten years have passed since that fateful night in the castle. The young boy who was thought dead in the streets has grown into a young man. He now wraps his tail around his waist to hide his identity. He was raised in the Gypsy Camp near Bower Lake. The Gypsies taught him how to read and write. The traders that occasionally stay there taught him how to manage his money. He taught himself how to fight.

He wore an outfit that various clothing traders pieced together for him, they even supplied him with dyes so he could change the colours of the clothes. He wore what the traders called the vintage vest and shirt combo with the vest dyed orange and the shirt dyed indigo. He also wore explorer trousers that were dyed orange. His pauper gloves and explorer boots were dyed indigo. His hair and eyes stayed relatively the same as when he was a child, which some of the denizens of the camp found strange. His hair had not changed at all since he arrived, it did not even grow.

His only real companion at the camp had been the golden retriever he rescued the day he supposedly died. The old crone, who introduced herself as the immortal fortune teller Baba, that brought them to the camp told him to give his companion a name. From then on, the dog's name was Nimbus.

The young man, who had retained his name from childhood, Goku the Sparrow, stood in the middle of the bridge that rested atop the camp gate, looking over the lake. In the middle of the lake was an island with a lone tomb resting in the middle. On the shore near the camp stood a large stone hill that Baba called "Heroes Hill". On the opposite shore was a bandit camp, which no one dared enter. Aside from that, the region was just small forests, grassy fields, rocky cliffs and sandy beaches.

Today was Goku's eighteenth birthday, the day that Baba told him would be the beginning of his journey to avenge his mother's death. He had been waiting on the bridge all morning for Baba to tell him where to start. Now, near the middle of the day, Baba approached Goku, floating on a crystal ball.

"Good," she stated, "you and your furry companion are both awake and ready to go."

"We've been ready all morning," Goku stated.

"Yes, I know. Today you will leave the safety of this camp and begin your journey to find Cold. It will be a long and arduous journey, filled with many dangers. Tell me, do you remember the collection you have accumulated in the ten years you have been here?" Goku nodded his head, confused, "You will have to put it in here now," Baba handed Goku a small pouch, "it is a pouch quipped with an old magic. All those like you carried these to be able to carry and access many items. This one in particular is linked to your blood, and will only respond to you. Put everything from your chest next to your caravan into the pouch, except your weapons, those you must equip to yourself in order to protect yourself outside of the camp. After you do, meet me by the gate."

Goku made his way through the camp to his caravan, which rested at the bottom of a hill with a white tree. Goku's caravan was a small one man living area, the single sheet on the floor proving that. A large wooden chest sat beside it. Goku opened the chest and began pulling it's contents out. He strapped the first item, a rusty longsword, to his back and did the same with the second item, a light splintered crossbow. He then pulled out a spade and put it into the pouch, a sight that some Gypsys gawked at. He then put a placebo health potion in with it, and some dog elixer, his childhood clothes, wooden sword, toy gun and his mother's diary, which he had kept with him all this time. Goku then pulled out a collar with Nimbus' name on it and put it around the dog's neck. Goku then filled out the paperwork to rent his caravan out, as he wouldn't be using much from this point on. Goku then made his way to the gate.

"Open the gate," one Gypsy called to another as Goku walked up.

"Take this," Baba handed Goku a strange metal disc.

The outer ring of the disc was silver and siked in four directions, as if it were a compass. The inner core of it was yellow and indigo, with a silver symbol. The symbol was the same as the one in the big circle from the castle. Upon closer inspection, Goku noticed that it looked like the letter S.

"That is the Guild Seal," Baba explained, "it will allow me to speak to you from anywhere. It will also grant you access to the Old Tomb on the island in the middle of the lake. Although, I would advise you to explore the area before entering the Tomb. You may find things that will aid you in your journey. Good luck."

Goku quickly turned around to give the camp one last look.

"Good bye everyone," Goku called to the Gypsies.

Goku received a mix of good byes from the Gypsies, some calling him Goku, others Sparrow. He also received shouts of advice.

"Remember, when your dog barks, it means he's found something."

"Don't eat too much or you'll get fat."

"Don't be a stranger."

Goku crossed the wooden bridge in front of the camp and started down the hill. He then made a sharp left turn, walking down the path under the bridge he just crossed, heading towards Heroes Hill. He did not follow the trail up the hill though, he turned right and walked around it. Nimbus began to bark and ran off, close to the hill, Goku following close behind. Nimbus had found a chest, covered in mold. Goku opened it and found 1000 gold coins inside. He took the gold and put it in his pouch, then looked towards the pond that rested behind the hill. The water seemed to be rippling in the middle. Curious, Goku dove into the water, swimming towards the center of the pond. When he reached the rippling area, he dove down into the pond. Sitting at the bottom was a pouch of gold. He grabbed it and returned to the surface.

Goku then dived into the lake itself, but he did not swim to the tomb. Instead, he swam towards the rocks blocking the way to open sea, where he found another rippling area. He dove down and found a rusty cutlass. Goku swam to the shore with the bandit camp and replaced his longsword with the cutlass. After putting the longsword in his pouch, Goku saw a chest sitting between two birch trees. He walked over to it and opened it, finding a rusty flintlock pistol inside. Turning to dive back into the lake, Goku saw a glint coming from behind the tomb. Goku swam to the small island and walked to the back of the tomb, there he found a silver key. Putting the key in his pouch, Goku walked back to the front, pulling the guild seal out as he did. It was obvious where Goku needed to put the seal, there was a hole in the lock that matched its shape perfectly. goku placed the seal in the hole and, as the door opened, took it back and entered the old tomb, Nimbus following close behind.

As the doors closed behind him, several torches lit of their own accord, as if by magic. Goku then heard a voice.

"Goku," it was Baba, though he could not see her, "don't be afraid, I am speaking to you through the guild seal. You will find a large hole in the ground just ahead of you. You will need to jump into it to continue. Don't worry, the water at the bottom will break your fall."

Goku and Nimbus walked slowly through the corridor. Upon reaching the hole, Goku looked down and faintly saw the shimmering water below.

"Ready for another swim boy?" Goku asked his companion.

Nimbus let out a bark in response and Goku shifted his weight, letting gravity take him down the hole. Completing a full front flip, Goku extended his legs and splashed feet first in the water below, Nimbus splashing in the water not far from him.

Resurfacing, Goku looked around. The room he was in was a mix of tomb and cave. The only area that wasn't flooded was an elevated corridor, the path leading to it either submerged or covered in fallen chunks of the ceiling. Years of erosion turned the chunks into a curved slope. Goku swam to the slope and climbed out of the water.

Walking through the corridor, Goku came to a large room. It showed no signs of flooding, but still resembled a cave. Goku was standing atop a ledge that allowed him to see the room clearly. Hanging from the ceiling were several crystalline stalactites. Two pillars stood on the far left and a broken wall stood in the center. When Goku jumped down from the ledge, he heard scuttling all around him.

"Oh, Nimbus?" Goku called to Nimbus, who still stood on the ledge, "I think I disturbed the locals."

Goku drew his cutlass as large beetles, roughly the size of house cats, surfaced from underground. Goku wondered if the beetles he killed in the warehouse ten years ago were this big as he slashed through them. He could feel himself getting stronger with each beetle he killed, which seemed strange to him.

"For each being you kill," Baba's voice rang through the Guild Seal, "you will gain their knowledge and experience. you may be feeling the effects now."

"Is she psychic?" Goku asked.

Nimbus barked and jumped down from the ledge and ran to a far corner of the room. Goku followed and saw that Nimbus found a second silver key. Picking it up and putting it in the pouch, Goku turned around and headed down a corridor. Halfway through the corridor, Goku saw beetles crawling across the ceiling. He pulled his pistol out and started shooting the beetles. With each one he killed, he could feel himself grow in strength.

Goku came into a room with water coursing through it. He walked onto a bridge that was going over the water and saw a small pillar on the other side next to a caged door. The pillar had a hole in it. Curious, Goku walked closer to it, being stopped by a floating yellow ball with four spikes protruding from it coming down from above.

"This is a flit switch," Baba informed Goku, "you must shoot it to continue."

Goku pulled his pistol out his pistol and shot the flit switch. The gate opened and he ran through, entering a mostly flooded chamber. Looking around, he saw three different areas with lit torches. He dived into the water and swam to the closest one, which was a raised ledge to his left. Climbing onto the ledge, Goku saw a skeleton lying next to the torch. Walking closer to examine it, Goku noticed a crumpled up piece of paper in it's hand. He pulled the paper out and read it. The skeleton had once been an explorer who died exploring the tomb. What shocked Goku was that he had been here with two others and was plotting to poison them. Goku figured that the former explorers plan didn't end well for him. Turning around, Goku saw it across the room, a second skeleton. He swam over to the ledge that contained the second skeleton. When he reached it, he saw that it had its own crumpled piece of paper. This paper explained that this explorer had been married, and that he would soon return to his beloved with the treasure they had found after he poisoned his fellow explorers, another plan that ended badly. That was two corpses accounted for, only one explorer remained. Goku dove back into the water and swam towards the third torch, which lied in a cave on the opposite end as the entrance Goku had used. The cave veered left and had an uphill slope. Soon, he came to a fourth torch, and lying at the bottom of it, sure enough, was the third skeleton. Goku immediately found the third paper and read it. This one had stolen the treasure and poisoned the other two before they could do it to him, then he threw the treasure into the waters below and killed himself so no one else could find it. Goku crumpled the paper up and ran back down the cave and dove into the water. He stayed under and looked around, eventually finding a gleaming yellow circular gem, an augment.

Back at the camp, a Stone Cutter taught Goku everything he knew about augments, except how to make them. Augments were specially crafted gems that were imbued with magic. Being yellow, this particular one was either one that presented gold for each kill, the Gold Burden or Golden Touch augments, or one that made a person seem more attractive to everyone, the Bewitching augment.

Goku put the augment in his pouch and swam back to the cave, running up the slope, past the skeleton, jumping off a ledge, crossing a bridge and coming to a cavern with a long drop that Goku doubted even he could survive. On the other side of the cavern was the caverns exit. The only thing between Goku and the exit was large cluster of beetles. He knew that charging headfirst into them would be suicide, so he pulled his pistol out and took them out from a distance. When the beetles were taken care of, Goku ran through the exit and came to a large room with a big door. There was a raised section on the floor and when Goku stepped on it, a flit switch came down from the ceiling and stopped in front of the door. Goku shot it with his pistol, but instead of flying into it's pillar, it came up to Goku and turned blue. Confused, Goku shot it again, but nothing happened, so Goku pulled out his cutlass and slashed at it. Again, it did not go into the pillar, instead it flew to the left side of the door, it's normal colour returning. Goku shot it and it finally went into the pillar. The large door opened and Goku ran through. He soon came accross a side hall, but opted against going down it.

Goku came to a stone bridge, on the other side was what looked like a building.

"Beyond this path lies the Heroes Guild," Baba's voice rang through the Seal, "for centuries, this academy trained generations of heroes in the ways of Strength, Skill, and Will. Over a hundred years ago, the people of Albion revolted against the heroes and the guild fell. But one hero rose up and fought back. Your blood is the blood of a hero, and whether you follow in your predecessors footsteps or not is your choice."

Goku entered the room and saw murals all over the walls. He then saw several bridges going to several rooms.

"The bridge to your immediate left leads to the room that your pouch sends your inventory."

"So that's how it works," Goku realized, looking at his pouch.

"Step into the light," Baba instructed him.

Goku looked up and saw a beam of light in the center of the room. Goku walked into it, and he could feel himself being lifted into the air.

"Your blood is awakening," Baba informed him.

Goku could feel a strange power surging through him. It started in the pit of his stomach, causing him to go into the foetal position, but that didn't last long. The power surged through his body, reaching out to his toes and fingertips, forcing him to stretch them out. It felt as though his whole body was being electrocuted. The pain continued to rise until it suddenly stopped and he dropped to the ground, landing on his feet. Getting up, Goku saw a red flit switch appear at the end of the room.

"This is a Cullis Gate," Baba explained, "it requires Will to activate. You have not learned how to utilize Will yet, but the mere act of reaching this place has given you Will experience. Channel your new power and hit the Cullis Gate."

Goku felt his new power surge through him as he brought his hands close together. Almost instantly, a blueish white orb appeared between his hands. Keeping his hands in the same position, Goku brought them next to his head and threw the ball at the Cullis Gate. It connected and turned into a portal. Goku immediately ran through it, then found himself on top of Hero Hill. It was the middle of the night, but he could hear the beatles all around him.

"Use your newfound abilities to kill them, then meet me in Bowerstone," Baba called through the Seal.

Goku Unleashed his power again and Forced the beatles away from him. He continued to do this until the beatles either slammed into the pillar like rocks or flew over the edge. When the beatles were dead, Goku ran down the coiling path of Hero Hill and followed the path past the Gypsy Camp, across a stone bridge and straight to the path to Bowerstone, which was currently barricaded. Goku looked to a guard who was on patrol.

"Hey," Goku called to the guard, "why is the path blocked?"

"Apologies citizen," the guard addressed Goku, " but the road is closed due to bandit activity. I'm afraid as the bandit Thag is still alive, the road stays closed."

"It appears that Thag has been capturing traders and putting them up for slave auctions," Baba stated, "If you are to proceed, you must find this Thag and kill him."

Goku headed back down the path and turned to enter the bandit camp. The camp had a bunch of poorly made tents, but there was something else, a log cabin, and next to it was a cage caravan with Gypsies inside. One of the Gypsies saw Goku.

"Look out," he warned, "it's an ambush!"

Just then, several bandits dropped from their perches in the trees and surrounded Goku. Goku pulled his cutlass out and attacked the bandits. Blood spurted out as he impaled one of them and flung him into another bandit. Goku then pulled out his pistol and shot several more bandits. With the bandits closing in on him, Goku tried to call on his power, but felt something different, something Shocking. Goku unleashed his power and electrocuted the surrounding bandits. By the time he finished, his sword was dripping with blood and both his pistol and hands were smoking. Goku looked up to see Nimbus barking at the cabin door. The door then flung open and a large bandit stepped out and kicked Nimbus, sending him flying into a tree.

"Nimbus!" Goku called.

"No one defies Thag the Impatient," the bandit stated, "I'll gut you myself. I'll give you three seconds to get ready. No wait, two. Oh soddit."

Thag drew his sword and charged at Goku, who let him come. Just as Thag was on top of him, Goku rolled to the side and Shocked him. Goku then began rushing Thag, striking him repeatedly with his cutlass. Goku then rolled back and shot Thag repeatedly, but he just took it. Goku then tried with his sword again, this time jumping and swinging at Thag's neck. That strategy worked, the cutlass cut clean through Thag's neck, taking his head off. Goku picked Thag's head up off the ground so he could prove to the guard that Thag was dead.

"Hey," the male Gypsy called, "let us out. Thag keeps the key to the cage in his hut."

Goku crossed the field and entered the hut. There was a chest inside. Goku opened it and found the key and a pouch of a thousand gold. Goku decided to take the gold, since Thag wouldn't need it anymore, being dead and all. Goku returned to find another bandit.

"Oy," he called, "don't even think about letting them go. I'll give you good money if you just walk away and forget about them."

Goku ignored the bandit and unlocked the cage.

"Oh thank you," The male gypsy said, "now we're free. Free to explore the world. The land stretched out before us like a big- um, what's the word I want Reg?"

"I don't know," the female gypsy stated, "and it's Regina. Right, I'm leaving. Thanks again."

"Uh, right, thanks," the male gypsy followed Regina out of the bandit camp.

Goku returned to the Bowerstone road and showed the guard Thag's head. Goku continued down the path , ignoring the guards look of awe. The journey to Bowerstone took just over a day. It was midday when he arrived at the castle wall-like gate. Someone was approaching him.

"Oh it's you, the Hero of Bower Lake" the man said when he reached Goku, "I'm a bard, you see. I'm looking for inspiration for my new song. Here's what I have so far. _The Hero went to Bower Lake and gave that Thag a belly ache._ That's all I have so far. I'm hoping to get inspiration by following you around."

Goku entered Bowerstone and noticed that there was a horse carriage stall to his left and a general store to his right. He walked across the Bower Bridge ahead of him and saw that there was a drinks stall, and a meat stall to his right and a fish stall to his left. He reached the Market Square, which had an apothecary on the left, a pie stall, vegetable stall, furniture store, and blacksmith to the right, and a tavern called the Cow and Corset just ahead. There was a clock tower was in the center of the square.

"I'm sorry," Baba's voice rang through the Seal, "but I'm afraid I have been delayed. I suggest you find a way to pass the time until I arrive. I heard that there is a job opening at the smithery."


End file.
